Texas Democratic Party: Moving Texas Forward

Rick Perry Endorses Voting Rights Assault

(Houston, TX) – Tonight, the embattled Republican Tea Party group “King Street Patriots” will take their minority voter intimidation scheme to a new Houston address, at their “grand opening celebration” with Gov. Rick Perry, characterized as a ‘disenfranchisement superstore’ by local radio host Geoff Berg.

“By cutting the ribbon at this vote suppression superstore, Governor Perry is pandering to those who openly intimidate and harass voters and deny their right to vote,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie.

The reports of voter intimidation in Harris County during early voting were so numerous and flagrant that they quickly caught the attention of local, state and national media as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, and forced the Texas Democratic Party to take legal action. Earlier this year, King Street held a national summit in Houston to continue their effort to export their vote suppression scheme across the country.

“As if endorsing their methods weren’t bad enough, Perry and legislative Republicans are trying to change the law to legalize the voter intimidation tactics this group used last year. It’s shameful that their agenda amounts to an assault on the essence of our democracy – voter participation,” concluded Richie.

###

As a native El Pasoan, I decided to help our governor get better acquainted with the Sun City.

Before we get into proper procedures for eating Chico’s Tacos or learning the starting lineup of the 1966 Texas Western NCAA champion team, let’s get the basics out of the way.

El Paso is in Texas and is located about 500 miles west of Austin.

While this may seem straightforward, on Tuesday Perry told the Austin American Statesman he, “…wanted a more substantial meeting and did not want to travel the 800 miles from Austin to El Paso to discuss wildfires and border security.”

Unless he was planning to kayak up the Rio Grande, our governor was pretty far off…by about 300 miles. Again, to help acquaint our governor with where we are on the map – here’s a handy graphic that demonstrates where you’d end up if you left Austin and drove West for 800 miles.

That would be Willcox, Arizona.

Hopefully this helps. And in fairness, the governor is actually making progress b/c he now seems to at least understand what country El Paso is in. Last August, he was talking about violence in Juarez spilling over into El Paso (which it wasn’t) and said “You’ve got bombs exploding in El Paso.”

The “bombs” he was referring to turned out to be a car bomb that had gone off a month earlier, in Juarez. Juarez, of course, being in Mexico. His staff put out a statement afterwards saying he obviously misspoke but a couple months ago he made a statement that generated this headline – Governor Perry calls Juarez Most Dangerous City in America.

Whether he meant to say El Paso was the most dangerous city in America, or Juarez was the most dangerous city in Mexico is unclear. But in case this concept is still fuzzy, here’s another nifty graphic.

You’re welcome governor. Gimme a shout when you’re ready to move on to the Chico’s Tacos lesson.

The Republican supermajority in the state house has enough members to constitute a quorum without needing a single Democrat. They are able to pass anything they want and because the Speaker is a Republican, they are almost wholly in control of the pace at which things proceed in the state house. Despite those two facts, House Republicans this week chose to throw out the rules to cut-off debate and ram through controversial pieces of legislation. You can watch the “highlights” in this video from KXAN.

This week in the Texas Legislature:

• CSHB 1, the 2012-2013 state budget bill, will be heard in conference committee soon. The Senate and House conferees were appointed this week.
• The “loser pays” tort reform bill, HB 274 passed out of the House and is now headed to the House State Affairs Committee.
• Republican Senator Wentworth attached the language from his Senate Bill 354 “guns on campus” bill to SB 1581, which passed out of the Senate and will be heard in House Appropriations Committee.
• House Bill 3328, which would regulate “fracking”, passed out of the House and is headed to the Senate.
• The language from House Bill 304, which would limit the number of voters a person could assist, was attached to HB 2817, which passed out of the House and will be heard in Senate State Affairs Committee.
• The language from House Bill 2752, which could create procedures for the removal of a party county chairman, was amended onto HB 2817, which passed out of the House and will be heard in Senate State Affairs Committee.

Here’s a great blog post from one of our outstanding freshmen state representatives, El Paso Rep. Naomi Gonzalez:

House Trained – Inside the House with Naomi Gonzalez

Some of the top newsclips of this week:

Texas Politics: Crazier Than A Sprayed Roach – Rolling Stone

Senate Adopts Voter ID Report – Texas Tribune

Loser-Pays Bill Clears Texas House – Texas Tribune

Texas Senate releases proposed voting map – Austin American Statesman

‘Loser pays’ is false advertising – column by Rick Casey in Houston Chronicle

Texas, prepare for the bread and water budget – Midland Reporter Telegram

The ‘Loser Pays Bill’: Yes, You’re the Loser – Dallas Observer

(Austin, TX) – When President Barack Obama took office, he inherited two costly wars, the threat of terrorism and an economic crisis that threatened to devastate our economy. On the occasion of President Obama’s visit to Texas to discuss immigration and border issues in El Paso, the Texas Democratic Party welcomes the President and calls on Texas Republicans to put aside their baseless partisan and personal attacks to recognize and respect the President for a job well-done.

“Last week, Americans put aside their differences to express appreciation to President Obama and our armed forces for the resolute and courageous mission that brought down Osama bin Laden,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie. “At a time when Americans put politics aside, Governor Perry and some Republican Texas House Members chose to put partisanship over patriotism.”

Richie observed that last week, Governor Perry refused to even recognize the President when congratulating our armed forces, and a group of Republican Texas House members refused to add their names to a resolution expressing appreciation for the successful mission.

“While Texas Democrats defend the right to vigorously debate the issues of the day, there are times to put aside the corrosive politics of division, and that is a lesson some Texas Republicans need to learn,” Richie said.

“Today in El Paso, the President will address another challenge that requires us to put aside partisanship: the need for comprehensive immigration reform,” Richie noted. “The President’s address will provide contrast to the hyper-partisans in Austin who fan the flames of division with proposals about imaginary sanctuary cities, birthright citizenship and Arizona-style immigration laws.”

“El Paso is a city that proudly supports our military and, like all Americans, respects those who put their lives on the line for our country. Today, I call on Texas Republicans to put aside partisanship to debate real solutions and show respect for a job well-done by our Commander in Chief. El Pasoans and all Texans deserve no less,” Richie concluded.

###

TDP Deputy Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez issued the following statement regarding today’s State House debate on the ‘sanctuary cities’ bill:

“Our law enforcement professionals need proper funding from this Republican-dominated legislature, not political stunts like this.

Law enforcement professionals oppose this bill because they understand that there are entire agencies devoted to enforcing federal immigration laws. Local law enforcement officers already work tirelessly enforcing criminal laws and working within their communities. This bill would prevent them from being able to effectively execute their primary duties.

This issue, and this entire legislative session for that matter, has been about pandering to the extreme right wing and very little more. Republicans have repeatedly failed to identify a ‘sanctuary city’ in Texas. Despite that, they continue to push this reckless and unnecessary policy as well as the financial burdens it will place on local law enforcement.”

###

Late last night, Governor Perry declared House Bill 274, the tort reform “loser pays” bill an emergency item. If you’d like to understand why this issue is a complete farce please watch the video below in which Rick Perry explains the legislation to George Washington…in animation. Enjoy!

This week in the Texas Legislature:

• CSHB 1, the 2012-2013 state budget bill, passed a party line vote in the senate and will now head to a conference committee where differences between the House and Senate versions will be reconciled before the bill is sent to the Governor’s desk.
• Part of Rick Perry’s “loser pays” tort reform package, HB 274 was brought up for debate on the floor of the House only to be defeated by a point of order from Representative Martinez Fischer. Afterwards, Governor Perry chose to designate this an “emergency item” so that it could be prioritized over other pending legislation.
• Republican Senator Wentworth attempted to attach the language from his Senate Bill 354 “guns on campus” bill to a higher education bill by Senator Zaffirini which would have allowed our colleges to run more efficiently. Due to Wentworth’s insistence to allow firearms on our institutions of higher learning, Senator Zaffirini was forced to take down here bill.
• House Bill 301, the Republican bill to make English the official language of Texas, was sent to the Calendars Committee. It will likely be heard on the House floor sometime next week.
• House Bill 2050, the Republican bill which would legalize and modernize the kind of voter intimidation we saw from the King Street Patriots in Houston last cycle, was sent to the Calendars Committee and will likely be heard on the House floor sometime next week.
• House Bill 3328, which would regulate “fracking”, was reported out of the Energy Resources committee.

Texas Democratic Party in the news:
“Instead of pointing fingers, the governor should work on restoring the funding Republicans are cutting from volunteer fire departments,” said Kirsten E. Gray, communications director of the Texas Democratic Party. “Blaming Washington for his lack of leadership is a sorry distraction from his own hypocrisy.”
Texas, DC engage in political duel over federal aid – Houston Chronicle

Some of the top newsclips of this week:

Some lawmakers oppose resolution commending Obama and others for getting bin Laden – Austin American Statesman
Senate approves budget bill on party-line vote – Texas Tribune
Texas budget likely headed to conference committee – Houston Chronicle
Perry has dipped into Rainy Day Fund before – San Antonio Express-News
Texas House redistricting maps: Before and after – Texas Tribune
Senate ok’s bill to require sonogram before abortion – Dallas Morning News
Reaction from Texas officials on Osama bin Laden’s death – KUT News
Wasserman Schultz rises to top of Democratic Party – USA Today

TDP Deputy Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez issued the following statement regarding today’s State House debate on the ‘sanctuary cities’ bill:

“Our law enforcement professionals need proper funding from this Republican-dominated legislature, not political stunts like this.

Law enforcement professionals oppose this bill because they understand that there are entire agencies devoted to enforcing federal immigration laws. Local law enforcement officers already work tirelessly enforcing criminal laws and working within their communities. This bill would prevent them from being able to effectively execute their primary duties.

This issue, and this entire legislative session for that matter, has been about pandering to the extreme right wing and very little more. Republicans have repeatedly failed to identify a ‘sanctuary city’ in Texas. Despite that, they continue to push this reckless and unnecessary policy as well as the financial burdens it will place on local law enforcement.”

###

After they passed a budget that makes devastating cuts to public education, Medicaid, pre-K and higher education state grants, you would think Texas Republicans are doing a fine job of destroying Texas’ economy all on their own. But just in case they were having second thoughts about driving our economy off a cliff, the guy who was unquestionably more responsible than any other single person for the Great Recession has decided to offer some advice.

Former Senator Phil Gramm took to the airwaves today to encourage Texas Republicans to pass a “conservative budget”. You may remember Gramm as being the staunch anti-regulation Texas Senator who spearheaded the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act and was the lead force behind the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, and between those two laws was able to create a market so devoid of regulation that chaos inevitably ensued and collapse soon thereafter.

How did Gramm react to the collapse? He called all the people who had the audacity to speak up about the horrific economic conditions he had created “a bunch of whiners”.

Oh, and did I mention Gramm thinks the New Deal was a failure?

Because of the Republican state budget, over 12 thousand public school jobs have been lost and thousands more will follow. Students will be packed into overcrowded classrooms, higher education grants will be unavailable and cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates will force nursing homes to shut down. While I’m sure Gramm would call them “a bunch of whiners”, our children, educators and seniors deserve better than this.

Below is a statement from TDP Deputy Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez on today’s Cinco de Mayo holiday:

“Since Republican politicians will unquestionably use this holiday to talk about how they share Latino values, let us stop and reflect on what Texas Republicans have actually done this session.

In the Texas Republicans are trying to create with their proposed legislation, Latino families would not have access to Pre-K, a quality public education or affordable higher education. Arizona-style immigration laws would be in place and English would be the official language for all government business. Latinos would be deprived the opportunity to elect our own leaders because our communities would be split and diluted by GOP gerrymandered maps. And the immigration reform Republicans would put in place turns out to be legalized indentured servitude.

Today’s Republican Party is downright hostile to Latinos and our values. In the Texas Republicans are trying to create, Latinos are clearly not welcome.”

###

Senate Republicans’ Priorities Out of Line

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie issued the following statement regarding the Texas Senate’s final passage of their version of the state budget bill for 2012-2013:

“State Republicans like to defend their budget by saying the state needs to budget like a family. I’m wondering, like what family? A family that wants their kids crammed into overcrowded classrooms and wants to see their kids’ favorite teachers laid off? A family that doesn’t care if their jobs are among the 335,000 jobs this budget will kill? A family that doesn’t mind if their elderly parent is thrown out of a nursing home?

“I spend a lot of time driving around and meeting folks around this state and, blessedly, never have I met this hypothetical family that would sacrifice their children’s future and parents’ health in order to keep their entire savings account intact.  And the reason I haven’t met them is that families don’t think like Texas Republican politicians. Texas families don’t support these short-sighted cuts, and Democrats are going to make sure when voters head to the polls that they know Republicans chose partisan ideology over our families.”

###